| Indian municipalities
are bestowed with the responsibility of town planning
and environment protection. In addition, India faces a
large variety of environmental problems and the need for
joint efforts and leverage through networking is realized.
However, the local institutions are in general not yet
prepared to take over this responsibility. Currently,
environmental considerations are not adequately incorporated
at planning states and the plan preparation process is
technically and procedurally weak.
To achieve success in urban management and to make
the developed ideas real, it is key to build local dynamics
for creating environmental improvement demands and to
involve local people in the planning process. The development
of an urban environmental information system is considered
an effective tool which would help carrying out the
environmental improvement projects in a transparent
manner by creating awareness among public and all concerned
stakeholders as well as to enable networking and the
realization of synergies between the different activities
of the participating municipalities. Currently, the
participating municipalities are those for which under
the Zoning Atlas programme, the Central Pollution Control
Board has prepared Environmental management plans (eight
cities) as well as the towns participating in the EcoCity
Scheme (twelve cities).
The aim of the "Urban Environmental Information
System (Urb-ENVIS) is to provide information in form
of a local environmental report on the status of socio
economics, development and environment for the entire
urban area under consideration including discussion
of environmental problems and actions proposed to be
taken for their improvement. It is intended to publish
an environmental statement each year. In this statement
each of the participating municipalities makes the information
and environmental improvement strategies transparent
for the public and stakeholders.
The main benefits expected from
Urb-Envis are :
• People are better informed about the local environmental
problems, actions planned and improvements
achieved from time to time. Local dynamics and public
participation for identification of priority concerns
is created.
• The key environmental issues and actions needed
are identified through a participatory
approach and expenditures are streamlined and made transparent
• Politicians and administration is sensitized
on local environmental problems and improvements
needed
• Politics can project their good deeds towards
environmental improvement
• Competition between the participation municipalities
for improving environment will be
encouraged
• Interested public will demand further measures
of environmental improvement
ASEM supports in developing the city profiles and the
annual publishing on the "EcoCity Net. This includes
the development of the scheme of the EcoCity profiles
as well as publicity materials and training of the local
staff to enable production and publishing of the annual
report.
|
